Have you ever clicked on “Daily Inspiration” on the home page of www.ananda.org? If you have, you’ll have seen a saying taken from the book Do It Now! (Do It Well, as of August 2009), probably with a related talk by Swami Kriyananda. The sayings are short, inspiring, and extremely practical.

I suppose there’s some cosmic law at work here, but I’ve noticed that the more energetically I apply the sayings to my life, the more they are appropriate to my daily circumstances. Another way of putting this is: when I apply them, they apply to me.

This comes and goes in phases. At least once or twice, a day’s saying has been shockingly apropos. A perfect example is the following story, which occurred during one of those times when the sayings are consistently applicable to my daily life.

Some months ago, a choice had to be made regarding one of Ananda’s web sites. The outcome was ultimately out of my hands, but it still seemed very important to me. The decision would happen during a Friday morning meeting, and I was attached to a particular option. (That attachment was blinding me to the full range of possibilities.)

The morning of the meeting, I woke up, and, as is my habit, read the day’s saying from Do It Now!.

It said:

“May 21. Whenever it is convenient, turn the palms of your hands upward. You’ll develop attitudes of relaxation and acceptance.”

“Uh-oh,” I thought.

During the meeting, I expressed my thoughts, and others expressed theirs. By the end, the right decision had been made… but not the one I originally wanted.

The quote from the morning, however, was very helpful. I kept my palms upraised when I could think to do so. It was such a small thing – the least I could do – but it was a conscious decision to move in the right direction and let go of attachment. As I did so, I could almost feel God’s blessing, working through that tiny action to help keep my mind and heart open.

In time – even in those moments – everything turned out for the best. The option we chose, together, has proven to be a good one. It was painful, but now I can only look back and feel gratitude for spiritual growth.

That was God’s grace. That is His love. Through my small steps in the right direction, He was able to help me, in time, to break my attachment, and move onward into a place of peace.

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